


Last Saved Memory

by Timebird84



Category: Detroit: Become Human (Video Game)
Genre: Angst, Comfort/Angst, Deviant Connor (Detroit: Become Human), Father-Son Relationship, Found Family, Gen, Good Parent Hank Anderson, Hank Anderson & Connor Friendship, Hank Anderson & Connor Parent-Child Relationship, Hank Anderson Takes Care of Connor, Parent Hank Anderson, Self-Doubt, Swearing, Worried Hank Anderson, at least the very beginning of found family, cursing, identity crisis, or at least they are on the best way to build up a father-son relationship
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-03-08
Updated: 2021-03-08
Packaged: 2021-03-15 04:46:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,707
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29928114
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Timebird84/pseuds/Timebird84
Summary: Connor deals with the last memory his system saved before he shutdowned at Stratford Tower and faces some heavy identity issues after not shooting Kamski's android. Good thing Hank is there to take care of the struggling android.
Relationships: Hank Anderson & Connor
Comments: 12
Kudos: 39





	Last Saved Memory

**Author's Note:**

> Hello and welcome! Thanks for coming here!
> 
> I'm still fairly new to D:BH and this is my very first fic for the fandom. So I'm kinda nervous to post it here. Also English isn't my first language, please keep that in mind while reading :P . Thanks to @Epwhales who did his best to beta read and correct my writing. I assume this story will have 3 - 4 chapters.
> 
> Special thanks also to @Veilder who has been the most welcoming and supportive person when I joined the D:BH fandom. Ngl, without you this fic probably wouldn't exist. I really hope you like it!
> 
> The story takes place right after Hank's and Connor's investigation at Stratford Tower, where Connor died in the kitchen in Hank's arms. After their visit at Kamski's it takes a bit of another direction than canon does ;) . All the Hank & Connor family tags might be a bit exaggerated at this point, but I chose them anyway, because these two building up some sort of father-son relationship is definitely what I'm going for, even though they're still far away from that here, it's a start ;). 
> 
> I really hope you enjoy it. If you like what you read, please consider leaving a feedback or sharing this little story.

_REACTIVATING SYSTEM …_

_LOADING …_

_CHECKING MEMORY DATA …_

_PROTOCOLS: 4,53 % LOST, 3,28 % DEFECTIVE_

_LAST SAVED MEMORY BEFORE SHUTDOWN:_

“Hang on, son, hang on, hang on! We're gonna save you, hang on …“

_TYPE: AUDIO FILE_

_SOURCE: LIEUTENANT HANK ANDERSON, STRESS LEVEL INCREASED_

_SYSTEM CHECK: COMPLETE_

_NEXT TASK: MEET LIEUTENANT HANK ANDERSON AT ELIJAH KAMSKI'S ADDRESS_

_ROUTE IS BEING CALCULATED …_

Completely unaffected by the icy cold of this November morning, Connor stands in front of Elijah Kamski's house, waiting for lieutenant Hank Anderson to arrive. For some reason his stress level is higher than it should be, and as much as he tries to find the cause for this irregularity, his self test fails to detect it.

It's 11:15 am when his audio unit starts to sense the unique sound of the old car approaching, mixed with hard heavy metal beats blasting from its radio.

_LAST SAVED MEMORY BEFORE SHUTDOWN:_

“Hang on, son, hang on, hang on! We're gonna save you, hang on …“

_TYPE: AUDIO FILE_

_SOURCE: LIEUTENANT HANK ANDERSON, STRESS LEVEL INCREASED_

For a brief moment his blue LED turns to yellow. The memory sequence has appeared without him accessing it. He notices a short twitch in his stress level to an even higher point. And before Hank arrives at 11:17 am his processor has repeated it 360 times without any order to do so, like an error infiltrating his software.

At first, Connor doesn't understand, but within this iteration loop his focus changes, automatically or deliberately he could not tell. While in the beginning there had only been the simple information of the memory sequence itself, the word _son_ and the lieutenant's increased stress level seem to be assigned a primary significance. The combination of these two details does something to Connor he can't name. He feels his optical sensors moving uncontrollably and restlessly over the snow as if they were searching for an explanation for what's happening somewhere in front of him in the bright white. At some point the program running inside him is able to connect these two details in a way they make sense and at the same time not: Hank was worried about him, and through that reached a new level of affection for him. Hank didn't want him to shutdown … _Hank didn't want him to die_. Hank had called him _son_ … desperately. Connor's Thirium pump speeds up unintentionally and the software instability notification appears once more. Quickly, he runs a test to figure out the probability of his conclusion to be true: 82 %. He wants to ask Hank about it and plans on doing so as he watches the grey-haired man getting out of his car.

Seeing him again makes the android smile, an absolute spontaneous and, therefore, unusual reaction. It's just a tiny smile, a little lift of his mouth's corners, almost not noticeable, but it's there … until the results of his emotion detectors make it freeze and die. Hank's mood drops down as soon as he notices Connor. He steps up to him, his shoes in the snow crunch loudly in the otherwise silent air. The lieutenant is furious to see him again and CyberLife's most advanced prototype fails to fully comprehend why. This human mood status collides so much with his last saved memory of Hank Anderson. Suddenly, he finds himself asking if this file is one of the defective ones, if it's just malware that has sneaked into his program when the last Connor got destroyed. _Being full of doubts_ isn't available as a result for testing his own condition, so he just registers some sort of confusion ... Really? Is that really all? He knows exactly how it would be called in humans what he senses inside himself now. What remains after he has processed the unfamiliar state of incomprehension: disappointment and sadness. Is it really so wrong to say that's exactly how he ... _feels_ right now? _Machines don't feel anything, Connor_ , he hears Amanda's voice remembering him like an echo from somewhere afar. Right …

“Jesus, what the fuck?! You died in my arms yesterday!“ , the lieutenant's voice is enraged.

Something that makes Connor  _insecure_ for a brief moment. 

“And now you're just back as if nothing happened?!“

“My predecessor was unfortunately destroyed, but CyberLife transferred its memory and sent me to replace it.“ , he repeats automatically, not able to differ his answer from the one that's the most obvious in his programming.

He immediately senses that this explanation has been a mistake and makes Hank even more furious. Why? Connor wonders. He knows that humans have difficulty dealing with other human's deaths. But he isn't human. He's just a machine. Hank reacting like this doesn't make any logical sense to him. When the lieutenant passes him, he hustles him ruggedly. The word fuck is thrown in his face at that very moment and only seconds later, when Hank has already left him behind on the way to Kamski's door, a  _fuck you_ follows. Words have never really bothered Connor, but this time they do, they make him  _feel_ …  _guilty_ and for once he is at a loss for words, so he just follows the lieutenant, setting new priorities, not even sure anymore if he should really dare to ask him about the correctness of his last saved memory.

“Maybe you did the right thing.“

Hank passes him on the way back to his car. Connor turns and looks after him. And then suddenly he can't move anymore, it feels like his Thirium has frozen inside him from one second to another. Too much conflicting information. His calculations are running on ultra speed trying to figure out what just happened. He failed his mission … on purpose. He _decided_ to do so. How is that even possible? Maybe Amanda will replace him for that and maybe she should. He notices that this thought causes some sort of discomfort. He didn't obey, he isn't working the way he should. He failed. So why does Hank approve his behavior?

“Connor, get your plastic ass in the car!“ , the lieutenant's new order gives him back the ability to move, but he doesn't _feel_ well.

His processor is still calculating heavily and there's nothing he can do about it.

“Time for lunch.“ , Hank declares while he starts the rusty vehicle.

As soon as the motor is running, heavy metal starts blasting again from the old radio, but Connor has no sense for it at the moment. Usually, he enjoys analyzing everything about the music Hank likes to listen to, but his hardware is too busy working to focus on that right now.

Their way leads them to the Chicken Feed where the lieutenant gets his usual order. While he eats Connor stands right next to him at the high table, like he has done already a few times before by now. His inner sensors start to notice an increase of his system temperature. Of course it's due to the heavy processing he still can't stop. But it's nothing to worry about … not yet at least.

“You've been oddly quiet, Connor. No smartass behavior or any annoying personal questions? Are you broken or something? Any bugs inside your software?“

What gets the android's attention is the word _broken_. Maybe he is. 

“I – I'm sorry, Lieutenant.“

“Are you kidding me? You're shutting the fuck up for once! I can't imagine a better lunch break.“

Hank laughs shortly, a warm and pleasant laugh. He laughs so rarely, Connor thinks incoherently.

Back in the car his system heat slowly starts to give him an actual cause for concern. The android has already initiated a process for actively cooling down. It will help, but not forever. What if he can't make his temperature rise stop?

“Shit, why is it so warm in here?“ , the lieutenant mutters, opening his window at the same time, only a few moments after being on the road again, back on their way to the DPD.

His voice seems oddly far to Connor, even though he is sitting right next to him wtih his hands on his thighs and his back too straight to make him look any relaxed at all.

“Jesus, what is this?“ , Hank's right hand hovers to the car heater's fan. „It's still cold, what the hell?“

Connor feels the man's eyes moving to him, eyebrows knitted. He knows his LED is blinking heavily in yellow. Suddenly, the lieutenant's hand is touching his.

“Damn! You're the source, Connor! What the fuck is happening? I didn't know androids could catch a fever …? Shit -“

He breaks the touch, a knee-jerk reaction, apparently not able to stand the contact to the RK800's overheated surface any longer.

Connor turns his head to look at the lieutenant, his artificial face showing serious concern, making him look even more human than he would ever know, vulnerable and helpless.

“I'm having trouble regulating my system temperature.“ , he replies honestly, then looks back straight ahead on the road again.

“What? What does that mean, Connor?“ , Hank grabs his shoulder, shaking him once, „Hey, robot, talk to me! You're not gonna explode and set my car on fire, are you?“

There's an increase in Hank's stress level observable again.

“There's no risk for that to happen yet.“ , the addressed robot assures him.

“What do you mean 'no risk _yet_ '? For fuck's sake! Tell me what to do, is there any way to cool your system down from the outside?“

“Why didn't I shoot Kamski's android, Lieutenant?“

Hank's confused facial expression is caught from the corner of his optical sensors.

“Shit, that's what this is all about?“

Connor looks at him, busy processing calculations, confused and somehow … _lost_.

“Okay, that's enough!“ , Hank decides and turns the car around.

“Where are you going, Lieutenant?“ , Connor asks, but never gets an answer.

He just feels the vehicle speeding up.

“You're going faster than you're allowed to, Lieutenant.“ , he warns factually.

“Oh, really? Why don't you just fucking shut up and let that be my worry! Why are you always such an annoying little shit, pissing me off, even when I'm trying to help you?“

Connor blinks a few times, sits back and does for once, his stress level higher than it has ever been before, just like his system temperature.


End file.
